Richard WEINREIS MEMORIAL

Scholarship Fund

A component fund of the

Background:

Family, co-workers, and friends established this memorial scholarship fund in memory of Rick, upon his death in a car accident on May 18, 2001.

Rick filled his life with many activities including hunting, fishing, mountain biking, volleyball, weightlifting, cooking, building houses, and helping friends in any way possible.

At the time of his death, at the age of 36, Rick was a social worker for the Marathon County Department of Social Services. Although the work was often frustrating, Rick thoroughly enjoyed working with juvenile offenders and their families to assist juveniles in getting “back on track.” Through Rick’s work, he came in contact with hundreds of juveniles involved in the court systems. Rick truly felt these young people could turn their lives around with the proper support and guidance of parents and professionals like himself.

The Richard Weinreis Memorial Scholarship Fund was formed within the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin in 2001 to provide scholarships to deserving students who have had formal court contact through the Marathon County Department of Social Services juvenile intake system, and who plan to better their life through educational training that will provide for personal career advancement.

Criteria for Selection:

To be considered for the Richard Weinreis Memorial Scholarship the applicant must:

Be a MarathonCounty resident;

Have had formal court contact through the Marathon County Department of Social Services juvenile intake system within the past seven (7) years;

Provide evidence of a plan for education or training that would provide for personal career advancement;

Provide evidence of support and endorsement by references; and

Articulated an attitude of change through an essay.

Evidence of other circumstances such as family, financial, or personal challenges which make an applicant more worthy of consideration may also be provided.

Application Process:

Students are encouraged to apply online by visiting the Community Foundation’s website at Click the “Apply Now” / Grants Scholarships button on the top menu bar; then go to the left-side menu and click on “Scholarships”; you can thenclick on the “Apply Online” button anywhere you see it on the page to reach the online application portal and begin the registration and application process. If this is your first visit to the site, you will need to “Create an Account.” If this is a return visit, enter your email address and password. Completed applications must be submitted by February 1 to be considered by the Selection Committee.Information will be held in the confidence of the Selection Committee, the Community Foundation’s board of directors, and its staff.

Announcement & Payment:

A selection committee will review applications and the Community Foundation staff will contact the school of the recipient to have the announcement of this scholarship included in their senior awards ceremony when appropriate. The Weinreis family will name a presenter to award the scholarship at the ceremony; the Community Foundation, or a school representative, are willing to make the presentation if a family representative is not available. The recipient will receive a congratulatory letter from the Community Foundation after the awards ceremony, instructing them on how to receive their scholarship funding.

Scholarship fundswill be paid by the Community Foundation directly to the school the student will be attending. The student must provide proof of registration to the Community Foundation office for payment to be initiated.

Continuing Students:

This award may be continued for a second year. Continuing scholarship recipients will be considered for funding based upon their performance within the year. Students will be asked to submit an application for continued funding. Completed applications must be submitted by February 1.

Payment:

Scholarship funds will be sent by the Community Foundation directly to the school the scholarship recipient is attending. Proof of registration is to be provided by the student directly to the Community Foundation office for payment to occur.

For more information, you can contact the Community Foundation office:

500 1stStreet, Suite 2600, Wausau, WI 54403

Phone: 715.845.9555 / E-Mail: / Website: cfoncw.org